Nice job @Trader_Todd !
Keep it up! That song is on my “to do” list for later this summer. As you move along on your project song list, go back and play thru the songs you’ve already done (regularly - like a warm up or as a break from getting frustrated on the new material) eventually they’ll stick in your memory, and maybe you’ll end up substituting and/or changing a few things along the way therefore making it your own version!
My 2020 Mandolin Project
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Thanks for the input Ben. At 12 1/2 bpm w/the tab I usually nail the alternate picking. Once I’m up up to speed and playing by memory all I can do is hang on. Frustrating! I’ve been playing too long not to be better.
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That’s pretty much my MO redrilling the old tunes I know in my head, getting them up to speed and making them musical. Thanks for the feedback!
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Next up for the 2020 Mandolin Project - Temperance Reel. No matter how slow I try, I struggle with the high E getting a little “scratchy” and/or slightly dead sounding. Really like Ben’s arrangement of this tune.
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You’re coming right along. I saw a few spots in there where you picked double down strokes, but not as many as the previous video. The direction of the strokes is the key to getting up to speed.
It’s cool watching your progress all in a single thread. I think it’s a great idea to keep all of it in one place.
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Thanks for the encouragement and feedback Mark.
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Good Job! Keep up the hard work!
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Wow! This is great. I’ve only just come across this series of videos for your @Trader_Todd project. I really do lack discipline. You are an inspiration. Plus the remarks on pic hold are very helpful. It’s one of my downfalls. Great project and great advice,
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Thanks for checking it out. I figured this year, I had to set some goals instead of aimless picking and playing, heck I might even learning and ending or two.
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Next stop - Saint Anne’s Reel. A little slow hard wiring this one to memory, you’ll notice a few delays as my middle aged mind tries to keep up with my wanna be 22 year old fingers. I’m sure the alternate picking police will call me out - in my defense there are a few spots where there are just down strokes. (I’m trying coach). This makes 11 songs, one more to go by next Tuesday to reach my half way point. Stay healthy friends!
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Great job! Your picking looks great!
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Thanks!
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Well if I can’t have all that fun at camp, I might as well have some fun by myself.
I’ve reached the halfway point with the 2020 Mandolin Project.
Here is Mississippi Sawyer, I don’t think this is on Ben’s site at all, this one I got years ago from Brad Laird and found a backing track that wasn’t 283 bpm on You Tube.
This gets me caught up to the end of June - so far my repertoire looks like this - Wildwood Flower, Cripple Creek, Red Haired Boy, Blackberry Blossom, Whiskey Before Breakfast , AK Traveler, Temperance Reel, Saint Anne’s Reel, Solider’s Joy, Liberty, Old Joe Clark and Mississippi Sawyer.
My original plan was for all the tunes to be Ben’s arrangements, but I’ve had to keep some of them down to basic melodies I found in an old Mel Bay book at the library years ago, repeating the same A part and B part. What I really like about Ben’s lessons are the slight variations in each of the A parts and B parts, so it doesn’t sound the same. It’s a great learning site Ben, thanks for all you do, you talent and teaching skills are impressive.
What have I learned? The mando is a tough little instrument to play, I figured years and years of guitar playing would help, but there isn’t as much crossover as I would have guessed. There is some real skill needed in that right hand to find the sweet spot to pull out that tone. No matter how I try that dang E string always sounds scratchy. I have also learned that I suck at alternate picking. That’s the great thing about making these videos, I notice the weak points which I never notice while playing by myself. I’ve also learned I’ll never be able to play at BG speeds - maybe I’m an OT guy. 
I can’t commit things to memory like I use to (dang middle age) and I suck once the camera comes goes live.
I’ve also learned you don’t need an expensive instrument at my level. I love my Northfield but in my hands it doesn’t sound much better than my Eastman. Curse you MAS and Ben’s Black Friday Sale!
What’s next? I’ve got to try to get some half learned songs ready for the next half of the project. Been picking at Eight of January, East TN Blues, Wayfaring Stranger (dang tremolo), Cherokee, Beaumont Rag, Billy in The Lowground. I’ve recently hooked up with a fiddle player and he has me heading towards a bunch of Waltz’s and old time stuff I had never heard before - maybe I’m at OT guy
Thanks to all 5 of you that have been following my journey and passing along pointers. I’ve always been obsessed playing music, guitar, harmonic, ukulele, banjo but MAN this mandolin, I can’t put it down - I’ve got it bad.
Sorry for the long rant. Hope everybody is staying healthy and sane. Maybe next year will be my year to attend camp!
Peace.
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Sounding good!
Looking fwd to seeing what you’ll be posting next, BG, Fiddletune, or…maybe…OT😬?
Wayfaring & Cherokee - there’re fun to pick, and I enjoy playing both their backups as well.
Camp was awesome, if you go next year you’ll love it!
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Trying to stay on pace for two fiddle tunes a month. Next up Eighth of January.
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Hey Todd! Sounding pretty good! All the notes are right and the timing is smooth. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be to go back to the tab and REALLY practice on the pick stroke direction. I saw a lot of down down down strokes in there. There’s just no way you’ll ever able to get that song up to speed without the proper pick strokes.
The picking hand technique is every bit as important as the fretting hand technique. What’s really cool is that if you spend the time to master the picking direction on a few songs, your right hand will be picking in the correct direction automatically in no time.
Keep up the great work!
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Nice job Todd! Glad to see you still working the project!
I’m in no position to offer advice in that department as it’s something I’m having trouble with myself. I will say this though, the sooner you can get picking direction corrected the better! I self-taught myself bad habits, then proceeded to use them for 2ish years (been playing almost 3 years) and they’ve been hard to unlearn…
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Thanks Mark. Been working real hard on pick direction. It’s all I can do to recall the song by memory, so my picking hand just seems to flail about. Maybe I should post a good blooper video of me trying to alternate pick while using a metrodome. I never was much good and walking and chewing gum or patting my head while rubbing my belly. As always thanks for the feedback. Hope you are staying healthy!
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So I hooked up with a fiddle player a couple months ago and he’s turned me on to some great tunes. One of my faves is Cold Frosty Morning which wasn’t on my radar until a few months ago. Tim Connell and Eric Skye do a great version of this. Would love to see a @BanjoBen lesson on this song. So The 2020 Mandolin Projects presents Cold Frosty Morning (lots of quarter notes! Less fussing with alternate picking 
)
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Nice job! Keep working on those alternate pick directions, dont feel alone, I’m workin on them too! I have slowed Arkansas T. down to snails pace to practice alternate then when playing my other songs trying to incorporate it to the best of my ability (still not very good at this point) but I’m definitely more aware of when I try to start phrases with an up pick on down beat (i do this quite often & then it turns into dbl ups) and try to course correct it mid flight lol! Cold Frosty is a great song and I absolutely love the Skye/Connell version which is kind of like progressive, the Jay Buckey version is great and definitely bluegrassy, then theres the old time version. Like them all! Enjoying your project, keep it rolling 
!
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